Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 108 If we're talking about who's the strongest at robbing Zhongxian (Part 2)
Wei Zhongxian would wait for an audience at the palace every morning, but as soon as he was summoned, he would vanish in a flash.

He quickly entered, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Zhongxian, is Li Shi, the eunuch in charge of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau, one of your men? What's going on with him? He's been in charge of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau for so many years, yet he hasn't even delivered 100,000 bolts of silk. In the early Wanli period, the Jiangnan Textile Bureau delivered more than 100,000 to 200,000 bolts of silk in a single year."

Li Shi!

This guy really helped me deal with Donglin, but he's also notoriously greedy.

It seems His Majesty desires silk, but this fellow has embezzled it and sold it for money.

Moreover, this guy seems to have gotten involved with wealthy businessmen from Zhejiang and the mainland, and he doesn't respect me, his benefactor, at all.

This fellow cannot be allowed to live.

Wei Zhongxian glanced at Bi Maoliang and Zheng Zhilong, already understanding the situation: His Majesty definitely wanted to make money by selling silk.

He rolled his eyes and then carefully said, "Your Majesty, Li Shi was indeed sent by me to oversee the textile industry in Jiangnan. However, I did not send him to embezzle the silk produced by the Jiangnan textile industry."

The servant was tasked with keeping an eye on those corrupt officials in the southeast, preventing them from embezzling the silk produced in Jiangnan. But instead of dealing with those corrupt officials, he started embezzling himself.

Your Majesty, this is my fault. However, I truly did not allow him to embezzle silk produced in Jiangnan, nor did I receive any silk from him as tribute. It seems he has colluded with wealthy merchants from Zhejiang and sold all the embezzled silk to them.

He must have amassed at least several hundred thousand taels of silver over the years. Should I throw him in prison to hand over his ill-gotten gains?

I just wanted to ask Li Shi if he was any good, but I didn't expect him to be so greedy, and he even colluded with the wealthy merchants and powerful families of Zhejiang!

Yes, this is a good opportunity to make an example of someone and deter others from doing the same.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Since you know he's embezzled, then throw him into prison to hand over the stolen goods. We need to send a capable person to the Jiangnan Textile Bureau."

Nowadays, much of the raw silk produced in Jiangnan is being illegally sold overseas, leaving us with very little silk to produce. We need to rectify this situation and bring back all the raw silk to weave our own silk. Do you understand?

Is raw silk something you can just take back whenever you want?
Oh, I see, they want me to send someone to rob it!

We really need to send a capable person over there, and the key is that this person can't be too greedy.

Wei Zhongxian thought for a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, if we're talking about competence, Tu Wenfu is the most capable person under my command. What do you think about appointing him as the head of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau?"

Tu Wenfu is indeed your capable assistant.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said, "Well then, let Tu Wenfu be appointed as the head of the Jiangnan Textile Bureau."

He probably can't go alone.

Wei Zhongxian cautiously said, "Your Majesty, most of those who privately sell raw silk are related to pirates. Tu Wenfu alone may not be able to handle it, and the number of people in the Jiangnan Textile Bureau is no match for the pirates. How about I send a few thousand elite guards to go with him?"

This kind of fighting definitely requires force.

However, there are many things in the capital that require the Imperial Guards to handle. If you send them all to Jiangnan, many things in the capital will become difficult to manage.

Furthermore, raw silk and even silk fabrics are valuable commodities, often yielding profits of hundreds of thousands or even millions of taels of silver. Simply making an example of Li Shi might not be enough to curb the greed of others, and we need to find a way to prevent this from happening again.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then asked, "Zhilong, how many men and how many ships do you have under your command now?"

There are many more.

Zheng Zhilong cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, after I quelled and incorporated the pirates in the southeast, my forces numbered nearly 120,000, and I also have almost 1,500 ships of various sizes."

With so many troops and ships concentrated in the southeastern seas, you are invincible. The entire Ming Dynasty's coastal navy combined is no match for you. This won't do.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, and then decisively said, "These people and ships need to be divided into several groups. We also need people and ships to purchase goods. How many people and ships do you think we need to escort goods and do business?"

So you want me to send people to seize the raw silk and tea, right?

Alright, I'm already following you anyway. I'll hand over all the men and ships to you without any problem. I just want to be a duke whose name will be remembered in history.

Zheng Zhilong thought for a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, one or two thousand men are enough for business, and fifty thousand men are sufficient for escorting goods."

As for ships, only large ships of 800 liao or more are safe to sail. Small ships, even if they don't capsize in strong winds and waves, could still throw their people and cargo overboard. I have about 500 large ships of 800 liao or more under my command, which is enough for delivering goods. The remaining thousand or so small ships under 800 liao can be used for purchasing cargo.

well.

It seems you have completely submitted. I can send your men to lead the troops to appease the people. Since you are in the capital, I am not afraid that your men will disobey my orders.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Besides Zhihu, Hongkui, and Zhibao, who else under you can lead troops?"

You still want to use my men to lead the troops?
Although Zheng Zhilong didn't know why, he still cautiously said, "Your Majesty, my cousins ​​Zheng Cai and Zheng Lian have fought alongside me for many years and are qualified to lead troops."

Well, we have the men and the generals to lead them, so there shouldn't be any major problems with our military strength.

The next issue is preventing corruption.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then asked, "Shi Gao, where are the main production areas for raw silk and tea?"

Bi Maoliang thought for a while before explaining in detail: "Your Majesty, the main production areas of raw silk are Zhejiang, Zhili and Fujian, and the main production areas of tea are also Zhejiang, Zhili and Fujian. These three places can produce tens of millions of catties of tea every year. In addition, Sichuan and Chongqing can also produce tens of millions of catties of tea every year."

Are they Zhejiang, Fujian, and Sichuan?
That's just right.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then decisively said, "Summon Zixian and Xiong Wencan to come and pay their respects."

Xu Guangqi arrived quickly; he was in the greenhouse south of the Wanshou Palace.

A moment later, he strode in, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

Since you're here first, let me tell you about the development of the silk and tea industries.

These two things cannot be obtained by simply robbing. At present, the silk and tea produced by the Ming Dynasty are not enough. Even if all of them were used to satisfy the internal needs of the Ming Dynasty, it would not be enough. There is still a lot of room for development in these two industries.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Zixian, are you familiar with mulberry planting, silkworm rearing, and tea cultivation?"

This will ripen naturally.

Xu Guangqi humbly replied, "Your Majesty, I have some knowledge of mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, and tea planting. My book, 'Complete Treatise on Agriculture,' has a section on sericulture, which specifically discusses mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing. There is also a volume in the section on trees, which specifically discusses tea tree planting."

You are truly an expert in agricultural policy.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then asked, "Zhejiang, Hebei, and Fujian are the main production areas of raw silk and tea. Aren't the growth habits of mulberry trees and tea trees similar?"

How do you say this?

Xu Guangqi nodded slowly and said, "In terms of growth habits, both mulberry trees and tea trees prefer warm and humid environments, and the warm and humid environment of Zhejiang, Hebei and Fujian is just right for the growth of mulberry trees and tea trees."

However, mulberry trees are easier to grow than tea trees because they are not as demanding in terms of soil quality and sunlight, and they are also more cold-resistant, able to grow even in frozen rivers and ponds.

Oh, so it's mainly about the temperature and humidity environment, right?
Zhu Jue pondered, "Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi and other places should also be warm and humid environments, right? Are these places suitable for planting mulberry trees and tea trees?"

How do you say this?

Xu Guangqi thought about it carefully before cautiously saying, "Your Majesty, if we only consider the temperature and humidity, places like Sichuan, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi are indeed suitable for planting mulberry and tea trees."

However, both silkworm rearing and tea tree cultivation require certain skills, especially silkworm rearing; without the relevant techniques, no raw silk can be produced.

Oh, it requires a certain skill, right?
This can help you promote your professorship.

As they were discussing, Xiong Wencan strode in, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

You've come at the perfect time.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Taimeng, if you can grow tea trees in Sichuan and Chongqing, you should also be able to grow mulberry trees, right? Sichuan and Chongqing produce tens of millions of catties of tea every year, so why don't I see you growing mulberry trees, raising silkworms, and weaving silk?"

We also produce silk.

Xiong Wencan explained in detail: "Your Majesty, Sichuan and Chongqing also produce silk, and have a long history of it. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, Sichuan and Chongqing have been planting mulberry trees and raising silkworms. During the Three Kingdoms and Wei-Jin periods, Shu brocade was famous throughout the world. During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the output of Shu brocade was still very high. However, when the Ming Dynasty established its capital in Nanjing, the planting of mulberry trees and raising silkworms in Zhejiang, Zhili and Fujian became increasingly prosperous, and the business of Shu brocade became more and more difficult. Nowadays, it is only the local gentry and wealthy people in Sichuan and Chongqing who use Shu brocade. Very little Shu brocade can be sold outside."

Oh, so Sichuan and Chongqing were also famous for their silk production.

That would be great.

It seems that the silk and tea industries have great potential.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then raised his hand and said, "Thank you for your kindness. Please sit down and let's all talk."

(End of this chapter)